Cure for the Common Hero: Undead Walking
by V2
Summary: The Remedy's first foray into the fanfic world. Explosions, smashing, witty banter, and double entendres make it all a day's work for this group of heroes. Features Moriyaku, the Sanguine Horror, Ponghwang, Scimitar, and JunkintheTrunk.
1. Chapter 1

The Remedy - The Cure for the Common Hero Chapter 1

"What made you think you'd be safe going in there?" The massive broad shouldered man tossed a towel full of ice in one hand. "You know you're not supposed to head into Dark Astoria by yourself." The tone used was part worry, part disappointment, and a whole lot of frustration. Sang pressed the ice to the younger Controller's head, pretending not to notice as she winced. "Go on, hold it yourself. I'm not your nurse, woman."

"No, but I'm your sidekick," she retorted, brassy mezzo a stark contrast to his deep baritone. Mori held the towel to her wound as she glared at her teammate. "Sidekick means you and I go out together. I help you while I learn," she emphasized, long fingers jabbing at his chest. "And I do help, you know it." She scowled at him and drew her long legs up, her boots discarded on the floor. Her legs and feet showed bruises and burns, evidence of her run-in with a nasty group of Dry Husks just inside the cemetery. Rufus Hardy, known to the rest of Paragon City as the Sanguine Horror, had arrived just in time to let her run to the gates and not suffer any further. Still, any amount of gratitude had been lost when he'd immediately begun chastising her for 'running off someplace' as he'd termed her attempts to nose about Dark Astoria.

"You help sometimes, but you're not strong enough," he finally answered, a large hand running through crimson hair. "You don't need to go everywhere, and there are some places you simply don't need to go. You're my sidekick for a reason, Miranda." Somehow, her given name seemed to give it more finality.

"Sidekick does not mean that you get to parade me around when you feel like it and have me hang on your arm when you go and see your contacts," she spat.

The tanker scowled, eyes narrowing. "I do not parade you around, Mori. You know that." He received an indignant hmph in reply, which only prompted a more indignant and annoyed sigh of his own. "I don't. I just don't want you coming places where you're going to get hurt."

For a brief moment, it seemed as if Mori was going to throw the icepack at her mentor. Fingers clenched about the towel, she stood up and wobbled slightly. "Yeah, well, at this rate, I'm not going anywhere, except to bed. Why I ever hooked up with you and the rest of them is beyond me. Figures that you guys just wanted a nice ass to stare at while we're running back and forth on the streets."

"Moriya-" The last syllable of her name was lost in the slamming of a door somewhere in the back of the apartment, the noise echoed in the main room by Sang's hand slamming into the table. Stubborn she was ungodly stubborn in situations like this. Of course, it was only stubborn when they were alone. Outside, on the streets of Paragon City, stubbornness became perseverance, or what one of the nurses at Chiron liked to call 'heart.' It was that unrelenting drive and passion that the best of heroes possessed and that could never be bought. The auburn-haired controller sulking in her bedroom had such qualities in spades, he reminded himself as he stood up. Those sorts of teammates were hard to find, and they'd been hard-pressed to find a Controller who could work decently with their group.

If only she wasn't so damned clumsy.

The radio on the counter crackled to life, a familiar voice coming through the static. "Incoming transmission for Sanguine Horror, repeat, incoming transmission for Sanguine Horror."

"Very funny, Pong." Sang snatched up the radio and headed to the balcony. "What's going on? I thought you were heading to Talos to check up on a lead for one of your contacts."

"Did that already. The great Ponghwang is nothing if not efficient."

"I see." The sun was setting on an already overcast day, and the night didn't look to be much better from where Sang stood, twenty-three stories above the streets of King's Row. "You planning to come back here and meet up with the rest of the group?"

An all too familiar chuckle came over the radio. "Rest of the group's already here. We don't have little girly sidekicks to make out with during the day."

The metal casing about the radio threatened to buckle as the tanker gripped it harder. "Not funny, Junk. Knock it off. She wandered into Dark Astoria and got the stuff beaten out of her, again."

"So what else is new?" came the smug remark.

"Don't remind me." Sang shut the door behind him, in case she had heard the radio go off. "What's going on?"

Pong's voice came back on the radio, slightly more serious than before. "Pantheon, just outside the cemetery. They've got hostages in one of the older crypts."

"How many?" Below, he could hear the sounds of the gangs tearing each other apart, the noise of the streets and the triumph of a few fellow Heroes from somewhere in the city. Hed tried to convince her to move out of the Row, even offered to share his apartment in Founders Falls, but she always refused. Stubborn woman.

"At least five, maybe more. Security chief says they ambushed a group outside of Barca Plaza and carried them off."

Radio static filled the silence, the burly tanker contemplating the situation. This wasn't the sort of thing that could wait until morning, or even until Mori healed up. Besides, if she was stupid enough to follow them into a crypt full of Banished Pantheon after what they'd served her that afternoon, then perhaps it was time for Darwin's rules to come into effect. There wasn't room in Paragon City for foolish heroes. Sliding the door open, he reached for his boots. "I'll be there soon, then."

"Without her?"

"Yeah. She doesn't need to head out again tonight." The radio fell silent moments before the door to the apartment clicked shut, leaving Mori alone as the rest of the Remedy readied for battle in Dark Astoria.

This CoH fanfic was written by V. Likenesses and attitudes of all characters are property of their respective owners.


	2. Chapter 2

The Remedy - The Cure for the Common Hero Chapter 2

A thick layer of fog coupled with industrial haze hid the group from sight. Camped out in an alley not far from the cemetery, a trio of heroes waited for their fourth member. Two were perched atop a dumpster while the third hovered just above the ground. It was nearly dark, and their tanker hadn't appeared. A figure shrouded in white scanned the skyline, the relaxed posture belying any bit of worry he might have had.

"See anything, Pong?" The hovering figure in dark blue leather finally broke the silence. The members of the Remedy rarely called each other by their actual names, choosing instead to shorten the monikers afforded to them as spandex-clad crimefighters. Miranda - Moriyaku - had been the first among them to break the tradition.

Ponghwang shook his head. "Nope. Don't worry, he'll be here. The 'wang knows this to be true."

"Y'know, I think the 'wang knows a little too much," the healer on his left pointed out wryly.

Pong laughed, the noise low and easygoing as he leaned back, careful to avoid the katana at his side. "Y'all are just jealous of the 'wang."

"Junk?"

The blaster looked over at the healer sitting on the dumpster, one eyebrow raised behind his dark glasses. "Yeah, Scim?"

"If you ever hear me say that I'm jealous of the 'wang, shoot me," Scimitar noted wryly as he stood up. Like the blaster, his clothing blended into the darkness and kept him relatively obscured from anyone who might be peeking in the alley.

Junk smirked. "Sure, I can handle that." A slight shrug of his shoulders preceded the upward movement that brought him level with the rooftops. Squinting, he could make out the silhouette of a red figure leaping from the top of what had once been a medical complex. Junk descended softly, jerking his thumb in the direction of the roof.

"Finally," Scim muttered, getting down from his perch. Moments later, Sang landed nearby with a heavy thud before he ducked in to meet them. "You made it here all right?"

The tanker nodded, arms folded across his chest. "Of course I did. C'mon, this is the fifth night this week I've had to come in here."

"Second time today," Scim added with a note of exasperation. "Is she doing any better?"

A shrug and the absence of a verbal reply indicated that this wasn't a topic for discussion. Before any of them could press the matter further, a low guttural growl reverberated in the alley. A chorus of groans and raspy grunts grew louder at the open end, and several figures lumbered from the sidewalk into the narrow space between the buildings. Behind them, an emaciated shaman tottered on unsteady feet, spindly arms raised in summoning.

"They must've seen you come in," Junk noted, doubling his distance from the ground. "Guess we've got time to practice, hmm?"

Scimitar leapt backwards onto the dumpster, pausing for a brief moment before he too took flight. "I dunno, does this really count as practice?" He extended a hand towards the other three, cool blue tendrils of light encircling and invigorating them. The Recovery Aura pulsed briefly as Scimitar withdrew a safe distance. No need for him to be too close; he'd managed to hone his abilities to work best from a few meters away. In front of him, the hero in white brandished a razor sharp blade and grinned lazily at the oncoming Chambers. The katana whistled through the air as if to further taunt the group. Sang's expression was completely impassive as he clutched the mace he held in his right hand. It always worked better when he just waited for them to get closer. Granted, no one really wanted to get that close to a hulking invigorated mass of decaying flesh, but the tanker didn't worry too much about looking one of them in the eye as he fought. Besides, they had one of the best Healers backing them up.

Sang cast Unyielding, the temporary burst in his aura the only evidence that anything had changed. Feet planted, he tensed just before swinging at the nearest Chamber. The mace struck the creature in its midsection, its charge halted momentarily. Another blow, this time to the head, and the Chamber howled in pain and frustration. A lightning-quick flash of white and steel rushed forward into the fray to finish off the weakened beast. As the pair made quick work of the Chambers, Junk hovered above them to ensure a clear view of the shaman leading the group. The first blast interrupted the dark mists and clouds that had already begun to shroud the undead summoner, but did little else. A second blast managed to knock the shaman further back, sending him flying into a second group of undead that had rounded the corner. Swearing under his breath, the blaster took a final shot and offered his teammates a satisfied smile as the shaman lay unconscious on the ground. Below, Pong managed a brief thumbs-up in approval before sending another Chamber to the ground. Around them, the bodies of the defeated undead slowly sank into the ground, finally allowed to rest after their possession by the shaman.

Sang's mace crunched into the upper torso of the last Chamber from the first group, the beast crashing to the ground with a loud howl. Recalling his Stance, he moved back, motioning for the scrapper next to him to do the same. Above them, a volley of blue-white streaked into the second group, knocking several of them down to reveal a pair of shamans. The air about them crackled with energy, an impromptu warning as the ground shot up around the tanker and the scrapper. Jagged rocks and earth bound them in a temporary but inescapable prison, leaving them vulnerable to the oncoming slew of Chamber that continued to pour through the alleyway.

"I could really use a Clear Mind about now, Scim!" Sang called, his head reeling from the attack. Next to him, Ponghwang had succumbed to the shaman's second attack, his head lolling from side to side as the katana hung useless in his hand. From the far end of the alley, the shaman essayed a wicked leer as another barrage of rock and earth shot up from the pavement, the tanker unable to little more than swear violently as the group advanced on the alley.

This CoH fanfic was written by V. Likenesses and attitudes of all characters are property of their respective owners.


	3. Chapter 3

The Remedy - The Cure for the Common Hero Chapter 3

At the moment, the other two team members were in little position to be doling out spells to the trapped. As Junk continued to assault the hulking undead as they came through the small entry, Scimitar had concentrated his efforts on the two shamans. A few shots went to the wayside, leaving burnt circles in the brick and mortar of the dilapidated buildings. One finally managed to bring the first shaman down, freeing Pong and allowing him to stumble back. From above, a burst of azure rained down upon the group as Junk sent the second shaman to the ground. With both of the leaders down and tagged with security transport discs, the Heroes could focus their attention on the seemingly endless queue of undead that staggered into the passageway. The wall of earth crumbled to the ground, allowing Sang to cast Unyielding once again. Mace in hand, he kept nearly half of the incoming Chambers occupied while Junk picked off a few that didn't seem too interested by the tanker in their midst. Just ahead of the main group, the flash of a katana gave testament to Pong's work as another Chamber fell to the group with an earth-shaking thud.

And another thud. And another. Scim glanced around, the Healing Aura cast again for good measure to keep both the tanker and scrapper hale and whole. An odd glow from just beyond the alley accompanied what now sounded like heavy footsteps. "Hey, Pong. You might want to-"

"Back up!" The blaster's voice called from above them. "Pull back into the alley!" Junk could now see the telltale aura that accompanied the Totems and counted three of them trying to squeeze past the last few undead that had gathered around Pong. The scrapper backpedaled, followed by the tanker who sent one last Chamber sprawling on the pavement.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Scim deadpanned. Not rested enough to cast a recovery aura, he frowned at the other three. "We could make a run for the door."

Pong frowned. "And have them waiting out here when we have to leave? I don't like that idea."

"Well, do you have a better one?"

"How about a Nova?" Junk offered.

Scim shook his head. "And leave you here all dazed and confused? Not when we've got three Totems to worry about." The towering beasts drew closer, knocking the remaining Chambers out of the way. Each step shook the ground, prompting the group to draw back against the dumpster. "Sang, you want that Clear Mind now?"

The tanker nodded silently, pausing as the aura about him pulsed twice before subsiding. He could keep two occupied, provided that the rest of the group could bring the remaining Totem down quickly. With a terse nod, he rushed ahead, drawing the attention of the pair as the third advanced on Ponghwang.

Rapid-fire Energy Bursts coupled with deft swordplay began to wear the single Totem down, as Scim cast aura after aura of Healing into the fray. On the other side of the alley, the tanker was all but hidden from view by the two massive masked figures. The glow about Sang flickered briefly, proof that his endurance was being taxed each second that he kept the pair's attention. As the Healer watched, the glow dimmed to nothing, leaving Sang to endure the wrath of both Totems without any sort of protection.

A streak of white shot out from somewhere above the alley, encasing one of the Totems in a chunk of ice. The tanker glanced up, his usually stoic expression now showing a wide grin. "Didn't want to miss out on the fun, Professor?"

The slightly older hero answered with a smirk and tossed a small blue packet at his teammate. "Now, how can I keep calling myself the leader if I don't actually show up to save you at the right moment?" Clad in a smart grey suit and tie, Professor H2O gave a quick wave to a clearly relieved Scimitar. "Miss me?"

"You're late, old man," came the reply, coupled with a laugh. "Go on, make yourself useful." Scim caught another proffered packet, the increase in endurance welcome. "This is just the beginning of the night."

The Professor nodded as he caught the second Totem in a frosty half-prison. With renewed energy, Sang swung at the imprisoned beast, hoping to weaken it before the spell wore off. A torrent of frigid water and ice accompanied each blow, the dual assault keeping the beast from moving any closer. Across the alley, a final burst of blue energy send the first Totem crashing to the ground as Pong leapt back to avoid being pinned. Junk turned his attacks to the third creature, keeping it at bay as the ice melted about its feet. With little need to rest, the scrapper rushed ahead, blade digging behind the plates that served as shielding for the Totem. The creature roared in protest and swung a heavy claw outwards, knocking Pong back several feet. Turning, it charged the remaining group, hardly dissuaded by the repeated volleys from above.

With the first Totem nearly down, the Professor turned his attentions to the remaining creature. An icy blast caught it several feet away, leaving it vulnerable to Junk's assault. Pong dusted himself off, laughing despite his injuries. "Guess he wants a piece of the 'wang," he quipped, running back to join the group. The katana drove deep behind the Totem's plating again, the roar in the alley deafening. Finally, the first Totem fell, allowing the group to make short work of the remaining beast. With a dual volley from above, it crumpled to the pavement, scarred and covered in ice as it slowly sank beneath the ground.

Scim glanced at the few Chambers at the mouth of the alley, frowning. One had fallen to the ground in an apparent stupor, while two had commenced fighting with a third that seemed incapable of doing more than standing still and muttering incoherently. Looking up, he caught sight of a familiar figure sitting on the corner of the building, hands extended out in apparent control of the situation. "Hey, Sang?"

"Yeah?"

"Your girlfriend's here."

This CoH fanfic was written by V. Likenesses and attitudes of all characters are property of their respective owners.


	4. Chapter 4

The Remedy - The Cure for the Common Hero Chapter 4

The five members of the Remedy made it to the crypt with little incident, save for the piecemeal excuse that their newest recruit gave for showing up in Dark Astoria. When confronted, Mori had simply offered the explanation that shed heard the radio and gone searching. Her mentor had sighed and trudged ahead, ignoring the usual sarcastic banter from his teammates. Now inside the caves, Sang stood off to the side and watched as the others crept along the walls in varying shades of invisible. Mori stayed ahead of him, Stealthy and nervous while the rest of the group went forward.

"Shouldn't we go with them?" Her voice shook as she wrung her hands in the inconstant glow of Sang's aura "I mean, I could-"

"No." It was forcibly delivered, and came out in a nasty tone. "No, you're not going to do anything. You are going to stand back with Scimitar and not throw anything; no spells, no heals, nothing." He pointed at her comparably smaller form as he stressed the syllables of the last word. "And if you get tagged with a hospital transport disc because you didnt stand far enough back, then don't come back."

"But, I-"

"I said no."

Her chin jutted out in defiance. "Fine. Screw you, Hardy." Mori turned around and headed down the passageway, throwing one hand behind her in parting. Around her mentor, the air hummed for a brief second before his form blended into the background.

Sang paused as he watched his hands disappear in front of him, an odd buzzing between his ears as the rest of his body disappeared from sight. Frowning slightly, he hurried to catch up with the young woman. That was a new trick, and one that he clearly hadn't seen before. "When did you train for that?"

"Why do you care?" came the exasperated reply.

"Because, I-"

"All right, kids, that's enough." Scim's voice called back through the tunnel. "Sang, quit the pillow talk, and get moving." He hovered over a small patch of ground, waiting for the tank to catch up. "Go on, I'll be right behind her... oh, stop that," he admonished Mori, whose Stealth hadn't been able to completely conceal her expression. "You're just going to have to suck it up for now."

She gave a self-righteous sniff and kept walking. "I don't need pity," she declared in an injured tone. The last thing that Mori wanted was a baby-sitter.

Scimitar laughed again, making sure to stay a few steps behind her. "If it hasn't occurred to you already, this isn't pity. It's common sense. You just don't have the skills to run off on your own, yet. Contrary to what you might think, none of us really want to see you ported off to the medical center every time we head out."

She grumbled something incoherent, following the rest of the group. The passageway emptied into a large cavern, pools of water reflecting the glow of luminescent moss here and there. At the mouth of the cavern, the group had gathered next to a large rock outcropping, each of the heroes assessing the situation inside.

The Professor made a motion to the back of the cave. "I count six shamans, including the pair in the back," he noted quietly. "They've got three of the hostages there."

Pong nodded, arms folded across his chest. "And four times as many undead running around. Fantastic."

Junk stepped up, rubbing his hands together and grinning. Clearly, the thought of two dozen lumbering rotting corpses didn't bother him as much as it should. "Sang, I think it's time for you to do a little round-up," he offered.

Sang arched an eyebrow. "Nova time?"

"Nova time." The blaster flexed his fingers as he spoke.

"Wait, what about the shaman?" The Professor spoke up, causing Junk's smile to fade slightly. "The last thing we need is for either of you to be held before you can get an attack off.'\"

"The 'wang can take care of the shaman," Pong quipped. "With a little help from the Professor, perhaps?" He looked to the older hero, who nodded in agreement. "Perfect."

Sang stepped forward, the Invisibility wearing off as he did. "Well then, here goes." Tossing his mace from one hand to the other, he grinned fiercely. "Hey! Hero on deck!" As a nearby group of Chamber grunted and looked up, the red-armored tanker took off on a quick jog around the room, often charging into packs of five and six to lead them back to the center of the room. As each shaman came forward to retaliate, a torrent of ice would hold them down as a streak of gold-white rushed up, the silver katana making short work of each target before the obligatory port disc could be affixed.

Three of the shaman blinked out of sight after falling, proof that Paragon City would have a trio of new additions to the prison for at least a little while. In the center of the room, Sang dodged a blow as he kept the attention of the group, waiting for the blaster to move forward. Junk paused a few meters from the group, hands thrust out as an azure-white burst sped to the center. The tidy ball of energy gave a quick pulse as it folded in upon itself, only to erupt outwards on second later. The resulting shockwave shot out in all directions, flattening the group such that they made a neat circle about the tanker's feet.

The blaster grinned fiercely at the display. "That's how it's supposed to go," he laughed, backing up as a column of green rose up around him. Fully healed once more, he joined the group in taking down the last of the shaman in the room. With the last one tagged and ported, the pharmacy workers took off down the passageway, nearly knocking over Mori in the process.

"Well, I sure hope they don't run into anything on the way out," she remarked dryly. "I wonder why Paragon doesn't bother to give us any transport discs to get -them- to safety."

Scim snorted behind her. "Multi-destination transport discs... you have no idea how many times I've mentioned that to them, but no one ever listens..."

This CoH fanfic was written by V. Likenesses and attitudes of all characters are property of their respective owners.


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